Hunters rescued from Marlborough bush

Two hunters who spent the night in Marlborough bush were rescued by a helicopter this morning.

One of the hunters was suffering from a suspected shoulder dislocation.

Life Flight Trust rescuers and a Wellington Free Ambulance Paramedic were aboard the Westpac Rescue Helicopter as the two hunters and a dog were plucked from the bush, inland from Ward.

A Marlborough man in his 20s suffered a shoulder injury in a fall last night. He was in too much pain to walk out of the bush.

"The hunters were able to walk to a small hut near Isolation Hill, but a rescue was not possible due to the weather last night," a trust spokesman said.

The trust was contacted for help just before 7am today, but low cloud in the area meant it couldn't be reached by helicopter.

However, that soon cleared and the hunters called to confirm this about 8.45am.

"Once overhead the scene the paramedic was winched to the patient," the spokesman said.

"A small clearing was then located a short distance from the hunters [and] the paramedic, two hunters and the dog made their way to the clearing."

Once there, they were picked up. One hunter, their packs and the dog were dropped at their vehicle, while the injured man was flown to Wairau Hospital.

 

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